Samsung Solid Extreme Camera Mobile Phone

Samsung Solid Extreme Price: $124.99

Samsung is all set to launch its latest ruggedised cell phones – the Samsung Solid Extreme Camera Mobile Phone. Samsung boasts that this best mobile phone can withstand fall of 2 metres, ducking in water up to 1 metre and is highly resistant to dust. This shock-proof handset is designed to defy rough and noisy conditions like building sites. Noise cancellation technology has been incorporated in the handset that stops background noise interrupting conversations and it also has an ‘extremely loud’ speaker.

So what little surprises did it have in store for us? These unusual features are always a given on ruggedised phones and the Solid Extreme is no exception. Sadly, it doesn't have the compass that we used to find on Nokia's tough phones but it does have a handy torch. The LED is positioned on the top of the device, and it's turned on by a long press on the dedicated button on the side. It will remain on until you turn it off - remember this as it can drain the battery power.

In the age of multimedia phones, the small screen with its 120 x 160 pixels, looks somewhat unimpressive. But it's not a multimedia phone - it doesn't even have 3G. No, that's not the purpose of the Solid Extreme. However, the display is colour and shows the time using big numbers, which is useful. Both headphones and charger fit into the same proprietary socket, although there is Bluetooth, so you could connect a set of wireless headphones if you want to listen to some tunes (though not while operating heavy machinery, we hope).

If you want to listen to music, it does have expandable memory, along with an FM radio. But don't be expecting the latest operating system. There is a voice recorder, a stopwatch, games and a pretty basic image editor - as well as a 1.3megapixel camera. One handy feature is the noise cancellation faculty, which can be useful in a noisy environment such as a building site.

We didn't like the fact that the central button on the navigation pad defaults to launching the browser, nor the fact that it's not easy to alter this setup. Just remember to lock the keypad when the phone is in your pocket or bag, or you could find yourself on the receiving end of a load of data connection charges by mistake.